At present Sony Corp. only uses Google Android operating system for its smartphones. But this may soon change, a new market rumour suggests. In a bid to further diversify its family of handsets, Sony may adopt Microsoft Corp.’s Windows Phone operating system (OS) for its smartphones.

Microsoft Windows Phone OS has struggled to gain market share from Google Android and Apple iOS. Nokia Corp.’s Lumia smartphones currently command the largest part Windows Phone sales, something that undermines further expansion of platform’s usage (partly because Nokia’s smartphone division is to become a part of Microsoft in Q1 2014). However, it looks like there is a good news for Windows Phone: The Information web-site reports that Sony is set to adopt the operating system later in 2014. The first Sony smartphone with WP software is projected to be released as soon as in mid-2014.

Back in December it was reported that Microsoft was mulling to make Windows Phone and Windows RT operating systems free for device manufacturers starting from 2015. While software giant has never confirmed the plan to make Windows Phone and Windows RT free, there are a lot of rationalities in such a potential move. The key factors that call to make the mobile operating systems free are Microsoft’s acquisition of Nokia as well as Windows RT’s failure to gain popularity among end-users.

Microsoft is about to gain Nokia’s devices and services business along with Lumia product line and hence become the world’s largest supplier of Windows Phone-based handsets with the world’s broadest family of WP-powered products. Such position greatly undermines any third party’s wish to license Windows Phone since eventually their devices end up competing against Microsoft itself and when it comes down to the price, Microsoft should always win since it owns the OS. At present hardware makers are simply afraid of competition from Microsoft on the handset market, which makes them invest more into the devices featuring Google Android. By making the OS free, the software giant just removes at least some of hardware makers’ fears.

By making Windows Phone and Windows RT free to device manufacturers, Microsoft will ensure that the platforms will not become its proprietary operating systems, which, given their low market share, means stagnation. Besides, it may hope that certain manufacturers will release dual-boot devices with Windows and Android.

Discussion

And then later once Microsoft gets others dependent to their "free" Windows phone operating system they start charging a ridiculous premium for it. Looks like people would remember all the dirty tricks Microsoft has shown they were willing to use and not trust them, but hey when you're desperate and willing to try to get the stagnate ship that Sony has become moving again it looks like you'll try anything.

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I don't like MS but I used a nokia 520 that cost around 120 euro and I liked it much more than any other android device at this price range.
I believe the os is really good and I like how responsive it is, personally I hate the way apps work in android, making the whole system behave slowly (like random apps starting and wasting resources when nobody asked them...) and as far as I know this is not happening neither in iOS or windows phones.

I will most likely get that nokia to replace my aging galaxy S1 sometime later in 2014.

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that, if you have a high end android you don't notice what is going on in the background, if you have an old one or a low end one, then you notice because the whole system slow down and respond slower.

You can take a look at running apps (apps like advanced task killer may not show every app by default, some are running in a lower system level) and take a look there, you will notice some aps running and if you go to the installed apps and press on some of them you will see "force stop" available which means the app is running in standby and will start if it detect internet connectivity.

Like instagram, you will not see it running anywhere but if you get your phone online it will start giving you notifications.

Now while in standby the app doesn't use much resources but if you have a lot of apps that they are in standby and they don't give you an option to deactivate then you lose a lot of resources.
Especially if you turn the internet on and all those apps startup at once a phone like my galaxy S1 almost crash.

Google need to give user a way to block apps from do as they please, isn't that the point to use android after all?
That you have the power as a user?
Well I didn't noticed that after 5 years in android phones

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Really, with Sony using a BSD based OS on the PS4, Sony could base their laptops and phones off the code developed for the PS4, and go the Apple closed ecosystem route, rather than with the M$ phone based closed ecosystem phone OS. Why give M$ 30% of the action. Sony has the resources to create such an ecosystem for gaming systems, why not phones too. Better to go the Android way first, until a Sony BSD based phone OS can be brought online. I would rather have some full Linux based phone, that I could buy, rooted to me and free of bloatware.
I just do not see Sony taking the M$ phone risk, with all the other options that Sony has.